George t



(No Model.)

G. T. STEVENS.

SHOE FASTENING.

No. 395,088. Patented Deo. 25, 1888.

ATTORNEY' N. Permis. mwwumognplwr, wnsmngmn, n'. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE T. STEVENS, OF AUCKLAND, NEWv ZEALAND.

SHOE-FASTENING.

SPECIFICATON' forming part of Letters Patent No. 395,088, dated December 25, 1888. Application filed May l, 1888. Serial N0- 2'72,448. (No model.)

To all 1071.071 it 71mg/ concern.:

Beit known that I, GEORGE 'lnnov STE- VENS, of Auckland, New Zealand, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Shoes and Lacers Therefor, ot' which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in shoes and lacers for the same, and has for its object to provide a means whereby a shoe will be stiltened at the top to sustain the strain exerted thereon when the laces are drawn, and also to provide a means whereby the shoe may be conveniently and readily expanded at the top for the insertion of the foot, and expeditioi'isly laced by simply drawing upon the proj eetin g extremities ofthe strin or laces.

The invention consists in the construction and combination ot' the several parts, as will .be hereinafter 'fully set lforth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, formin a part et? this specification, in whichA similar letters ot' reference indicate corresponding parts in both the figures.

Figure l Vis a perspective view of aY laced shoe, partly in section; and Fig. 2 Ais an eleva-A tion of the abutting :trout edges ofthe upper, illustrating the applicatioi 1V of the lace thereto.

In carrying out the invention in the front opposing edges, o., of the upper A a strip, B, otf metal, whaleboi'le, stiff rubber, or similar material inserted between the several strips of leather. or the leather and lining, as best shown in Fig. l, which stay is secured in any suitable or approved nia'irner, and provided with apertures adapted to receive the eyelets l). The purpose ot" this stay is to furnish a brace, whereby the operator by grasping the same may readily force the contiguous i'ront edges ol:l the upper in opposite directions 'for the convenient admission ot' the it'oot; and a further object of thc sta-y is to provide a ,rigid surface, through which the laces may be drawn to eltectually close the upper over the foot at one operation. To afafoinplish this result, laces (l d and d? di are usually employed, two for cach side being inserted in the eyelets of the shoe, essentially in the following manner.

Supposing the shoe to have eight eyelets L i upon each side of the front opening ot the upper and an. enlarged upper eyelet, l2 b2, one end of the lace d is passed from the outside downward through the openingh within the shoe, out through the lower eyelet in the side D, across the opening through the similar and aligning eyeletin the side D', upward through the second eyelet in the same side, from thence inward throu gh the aligning eye let in the side D, and further upward within the shoe, out through the opening D in the said side. Thus the two ends of lace d project out in parallel line through the same upper opening-namely, that in the side D. A group ot four eyelets are now skipped and the second lace, d', is passed through the aforesaid opening li in the side D and through the third group of four eyelets in similar manner to the aforesaid lace d. This havingbeen accomplished, the ends ot the laces d and d are united in any approved manner, best shown in Figi. One end of the lace d? is now projected downward through the opening b2 in the side D-, up through t-he third eyelet from the bottom on said sidle, across the front, down through the horizontal aligning eyelet in the side D, vertically upward and outward through the next upper eyelct in said side D, and inward through the horizontally-ali gnin g eyelet in the opposite side, and thence out through the upper opening, b2. Th e lace dfi is passed ina similar manner through the upper opening, h2, and through the upper group of fou r eyelets in the stit'tening, whereupon the projecting ends ot' the laces d? and di are also united. 1

InA operati ou the stayed portions oli the shoe are grasped with the hands, and the sides D and D carried in opposite directions. As the sides are thus separated, the laces run freely through the eyelets, permitting the movement to be accomplished with ease. The foot may now be readily inserted. To close the upper over the foot, the opposite projecting ends of the laces are pulled upward and preferably outward, which immediately brings the opposing edges of the upper essentially in contact by reason ot' the sti'lfening in the upper portion ofthe shoe, which permits direct and even tension to be exerted upon all the laces. The end of the laces may now be tied or se- IOO cured upon a cleat, or fastened in any approved manner.

I do not confine :myself to four laces, as any desired number may be employed Without dcparting from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by VLetters Patent, is-

l. The combination, with an eyeleted shoe having rigid stays 'B upon opposite sides or' the front opening above the instep, and having apertures in line with the shoewapertures to receive the eyelets, of laces passing back and forth through the said eyelets, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with an eyeleted shoe, and rigid stays secured at the top of the upper upon opposite sides of the front opening', of ini dependent laces projected outward through the upper horizontallyaligned eyelets, each of said laces passing through separate groups of the remaining eyelets, substantially as shown and described.

S3. The combination, With an eyeleted shoe and rigid stays secured at the top of the uppers upon opposite sides of the front opening, of independent laces passing through alternate groups of eyelets and projected outward through the horizontal aligning top eyelets, each set oi' laces having their ends united, 3o sul'istantially'as shown and described.

GEO. T. STEVENS.

lVitnesses:

J. F. ACKER, Jr., EDGAR TATE. 

